credited As

DreamWorks
For the bulk of every Rocky and Bullwinkle episode, moose and squirrel would engage in high concept escapades that satirized geopolitics, contemporary cinema, and the very fabrics of the human condition. With all of that to work with, there's no excuse for why the pair and their Soviet nemeses haven't gotten a decent movie adaptation. But the ingenious Mr. Peabody and his faithful boy Sherman are another story, intercut between Rocky and Bullwinkle segments to teach kids brief history lessons and toss in a nearly lethal dose of puns. Their stories and relationship were much simpler, which means that bringing their shtick to the big screen would entail a lot more invention — always risky when you're dealing with precious material.
For the most part, Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman handles the regeneration of its heroes aptly, allowing for emotionally substance in their unique father-son relationship and all the difficulties inherent therein. The story is no subtle metaphor for the difficulties surrounding gay adoption, with society decreeing that a dog, no matter how hyper-intelligent, cannot be a suitable father. The central plot has Peabody hosting a party for a disapproving child services agent and the parents of a young girl with whom 7-year-old Sherman had a schoolyard spat, all in order to prove himself a suitable dad. Of course, the WABAC comes into play when the tots take it for a spin, forcing Peabody to rush to their rescue.
Getting down to personals, we also see the left brain-heavy Peabody struggle with being father Sherman deserves. The bulk of the emotional marks are hit as we learn just how much Peabody cares for Sherman, and just how hard it has been to accept that his only family is growing up and changing.
DreamWorks
But more successful than the new is the film's handling of the old — the material that Peabody and Sherman purists will adore. They travel back in time via the WABAC Machine to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the Trojan War, and 18th Century France, explaining the cultural backdrop and historical significance of the settings and characters they happen upon, all with that irreverent (but no longer racist) flare that the old cartoons enjoyed. And oh... the puns.
Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman is a f**king treasure trove of some of the most amazingly bad puns in recent cinema. This effort alone will leave you in awe.
The film does unravel in its final act, bringing the science-fiction of time travel a little too close to the forefront and dropping the ball on a good deal of its emotional groundwork. What seemed to be substantial building blocks do not pay off in the way we might, as scholars of animated family cinema, have anticipated, leaving the movie with an unfinished feeling.
But all in all, it's a bright, compassionate, reasonably educational, and occasionally funny if not altogether worthy tribute to an old favorite. And since we don't have our own WABAC machine to return to a time of regularly scheduled Peabody and Sherman cartoons, this will do okay for now.
If nothing else, it's worth your time for the puns.
3/5
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Warner Bros/Everett Collection
Get a group of bros together with little in common and you won't have to wait long before one of them fills up his Solo cup with a White Russian and proclaims that Jeff Bridges is totes The Dude. If you want to be versed in broheim, take a romp through their DVD collections.CaddyshackA favorite amongst the ribbon-belt-clad liberal arts boys. There's something about Bill Murray and a gopher that really gets them hot in their critter shorts.Scarface
Care to blow a bro's mind? Tell him there's a 1932 version. Different plot but still pretty gangsta.The Godfather: Part II
For a little conversational foreplay, tease him by asserting you actually liked the first Godfather better than the second. Fight Club
“The number one rule of fight club…” is to memorize this line and pretend you get this movie.Animal House
Let’s shotgun a PBR and chant “College!” Killing it, bros.Old School
OMG! Epic KY-jelly wrestling match, man. Epic.Pulp Fiction
The film that taught all co-eds not to put just any white powder up their noses.Reservoir Dogs
Toss em' a skinny tie and watch them argue over who gets to be called Mr. Pink.The Usual Suspects
Spoil the twist ending and he'll spill skunked beer in your Sperrys.
The Boondock Saints
The revenge anthem for any social chair who's ever owned a Red Sox cap.
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Warner BrosNot since 2003, when both Gigli and Daredevil were released, has Ben Affleck been the source of such hostile Interweb attacks. Lucky for him Twitter didn't exist during his year of questionable choices. Now with the announcement that he'll be playing Batman, the social-verse has had a Bennifer resurgence, paying acute attention to his acting “chops” and forgetting that just this past year his movie Argo won best picture. Yes, he's had some laughable performances (any prolific actor is bound to...except for you, Morgan Freeman) but before we continue fuelling the maw of hate, here are some reasons why he's actually quite talented behind the camera. Like Batman himself, Affleck is more interesting when he’s not seen.He’s Nailed the Boston Crime Drama
In the tensely-woven thriller The Town, which our underdog wrote and directed, Affleck drives superb performances out of his cast, especially a very dirty Blake Lively. See also Gone Baby Gone. He also acts in these movies but we postulate that Affleck gives much better performances when he directs himself, or when he’s being directed by Kevin Smith. No, Jersey Girl doesn't count.He Uses Stellar Source Material
Sure, it's easy to mock Affleck for his role in Bounce, for instance, but that story was agonizingly maudlin and derivative. When Affleck adapts stories for his own screenplays, like the Dennis Lehane novel (who also penned Mystic River) for Gone Baby Gone, Affleck begins with a strong foundation. (Ed note: The writer of this piece saw Bounce on opening night. She’s not ashamed.) He Builds Compelling Characters
When Affleck plays roles himself they’re often flat (see, Surviving Christmas, Pearl Harbor and State of Play) but in the movies he writes and directs, even the B roles shine. In Argo, we actually care about the dweeb with the glasses and his wife with the bad haircut.As we approach yet another week of Ben-bashing, we encourage you to focus on the fact that Affleck will be a producer on the next Batman, working closely with Zack Snyder on developing a completely new incarnation of the superhero, which, based on Affleck's behind-the-scenes record, bodes well for the flick. We're just hoping Batman won’t drop his R’s.
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MGM/Everett Collection
Ladies, if your gent's idea of date night is smuggling 40’s into 2 Guns, then counter with cozying up to one of these tesosterone-rich flicks that are all manly enough that he'll forget he's kind of watching a rom-com.Con AirLeeAnn Rimes wrote the theme song and the hero of the film is a stuffed bunny.
True LiesThe Terminator and Jamie Lee Curtis outwit terrorists together and in doing so rekindle the passion they've lost throughout their hum-drum middle-aged marriage. There's even a strip tease by Miss Lee. If that doesn't get your man to drop his boxers, nothing will.Body HeatThis double-crossing neo-noir, made when Kathleen Turner was still smokin’ hot, is all sorts of sultryArmageddon
He might squirm during the scene in which Ben Affleck makes an animal cracker dance across Liv Tyler’s belly, but a good fourth of this movie takes place on a space rig, so that should distract him from how deliciously sappy this movie is.SpeedA hijacked bus is merely a meet-cute for the ever gallant Keanu Reeves (insert obligatory joke about him here) and a blushing Sandy Bullock.
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Focus Films/Everett CollectionWith Big Fish and Little Miss Sunshine opening on Broadway in the fall, American Psycho debuting in London to droves of lucky Brits and rumors of Mean Girls casting (how fetch), the Great White Way is getting the silver screen treatment. Read on for more movies that we think should be infused with jazz hands and soprano.Brokeback MountainGay men and the women who love them – Broadway's biggest draw – will flock to the theaters to see this sweeping story come to life. Complete with tension, tumbleweeds, sensuality and a harrowing first act ballad when Alma realizes her husband prefers cowmen. Our dream casting: Benjamin Walker and Neil Patrick Harris, with Anne Hathaway reprising her film role and her topless-ness.Forrest GumpThis four-act operetta will take us through three decades of song as we follow our fabled hero through 'Nam and heartache. Not since Les Mis's "Castle on a Cloud" will a song performed by a wispy 8-year-old girl stir us more emotionally than Jenny's "I Wish I was a Bird." We predict Tony Awards for Joseph Gordon-Levitt as best actor, and Twyla Tharp for her inspired choreography of tapping truffles during Forrest's show-stopping, "Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates: 'Naw Mean?"Desperately Seeking SusanThe campy 80's pop musical Broadway has been waiting for (since Rock of Ages). Dream casting: Madonna (obviously).A League of Their Own
Cue the chorus boys in uniform! Rosie O'Donnell returns to headline this feel-good feminist period piece. We’d cast Alan Cumming as Jimmy Dugan, the craggly team manager. Just because.Overboard
When entitled rich-chick Joanna falls off her yacht and comes down with a wickedly funny case of amnesia, swash-buckling hilarity ensues as she starts a new life as a pauper mom and, for the first time, discovers true love. We’ll bring Randy Newman back to write a few ditties. Hey, it worked for Anything Goes and Titanic.
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The trailers for Hope Springs might lead you to believe it's a romantic comedy about a couple trying to jumpstart their sexless marriage but it causes more empathetic cringing than chuckles. Audiences will be drawn to Hope Springs by its stars Meryl Streep Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell and Streep's track record of pleasing summer movies like Julie &amp; Julia and Mamma Mia! that offer a respite from the blockbusters flooding theaters. Despite what its marketing might have you believe Hope Springs isn't a rom-com. The film is a disarming mixture of deeply intimate confessions by a married couple in the sanctuary of a therapist's office awkwardly honest attempts by that couple to physically reconnect and incredibly sappy scenes underscored by intrusive music. Boldly addressing female desire especially in older women it's hard not to give the movie extra credit for what writer Vanessa Taylor's script is trying to convey and its rarity in mainstream film. The ebb and flow of intimacy and desire in a long-term relationship is what drives Hope Springs and while there are plenty contrived moments and unresolved issues it is frankly surprising and surprisingly frank. It's a summer release from a major studio with high caliber stars aimed squarely at the generally underserved 50+ audience addressing the even more taboo topic of that audience's sex life.
Streep plays Kay a suburban wife who's deeply unsatisfied emotionally and sexually by her marriage to Arnold. Arnold who is played by Tommy Lee Jones as his craggiest sleeps in a separate bedroom now that their kids have left the nest; he's like a stone cold robot emotionally and physically and Kay tiptoes around trying to make him happy even as he ignores her every gesture. One of the most striking scenes in the movie is at the very beginning when Kay primps and fusses over her modest sleepwear in the hopes of seducing her husband. Streep makes it obvious that this isn't an easy thing for Kay; it takes all her guts to try and wordlessly suggest sex to her husband and when she's shot down it hurts to watch. This isn't a one time disconnect between their libidos; this is an ongoing problem that leaves Kay feeling insecure and undesirable.
After a foray into the self-help section of her bookstore Kay finds a therapist who holds week-long intensive couples' therapy sessions in Good Hope Springs ME and in a seemingly unprecedented moment of decisiveness she books a trip for the couple. Arnold of course is having none of it but he eventually comes along for the ride. That doesn't mean he's up for answering any of Dr. Feld's questions though. To be fair Dr. Feld (Carell) is asking the couple deeply intimate questions so if Arnold is comfortable foisting his amorous wife off with the excuse he had pork for lunch it's not so far-fetched to believe he'd be angry when Feld asks him about his fantasy life or masturbation habits.
Although Arnold gets a pass on some of his issues Kay is forthright about why and how she's dissatisfied. When Dr. Feld asks her if she masturbates she says she doesn't because it makes her too sad. Kay offers similar revelations; she's willing to bare it all to revive her marriage while Arnold thinks the fact that they're married at all means they must be happy. Carell's Dr. Feld is soothing and kind (even a bit bland) but it's always a pleasure to see him play it straight.
It's subversive for a mega-watt star to play a character that talks about how sexually unsatisfied she is and how unsexy she feels with the man she loves most in the world. The added taboo of Kay and Arnold's age adds that much more to the conversation. Kay and Arnold's attempts at intimacy are emotionally raw and hard to watch. Even when things get funny they're mostly awkward funny not ha-ha funny.
The rest of the movie is a little uneven wrapped up tightly and happily by the end. Their time spent soul-searching alone is a little cheesy especially when Kay ends up in a local bar where she gets a little dizzy on white wine while dishing about her problems to the bartender (Elisabeth Shue). Somewhere along the line what probably started out as a character study ended up as a wobbly drama that pushes some boundaries but eventually lets everyone off the emotional hook in favor of a smoothed-over happy ending. Still its disarming moments and performances almost balance it out. Although its target audience might be dismayed to find it's not as light-hearted as it would seem Hope Springs offers up the opportunity for discussion about sexuality and aging at a time when books and films like 50 Shades of Grey and Magic Mike are perking up similar conversations. In the end that's a good thing.

A kids’ movie without the cheeky jokes for adults is like a big juicy BLT without the B… or the T. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted may have a title that sounds like it was made up in a cartoon sequel laboratory but when it comes to serving up laughs just think of the film as a BLT with enough extra bacon to satisfy even the wildest of animals — or even a parent with a gaggle of tots in tow. Yes even with that whole "Afro Circus" nonsense.
It’s not often that we find exhaustively franchised films like the Madagascar set that still work after almost seven years. Despite being spun off into TV shows and Christmas specials in addition to its big screen adventures the series has not only maintained its momentum it has maintained the part we were pleasantly surprised by the first time around: great jokes.
In this third installment of the series – the trilogy-maker if you will – directing duo Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath add Conrad Vernon (director Monsters Vs. Aliens) to the helm as our trusty gang swings back into action. Alex the lion (Ben Stiller) Marty the zebra (Chris Rock) Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) are stuck in Africa after the hullaballoo of Madagascar 2 and they’ll do anything to get back to their beloved New York. Just a hop skip and a jump away in Monte Carlo the penguins are doing their usual greedy schtick but the zoo animals catch up with them just in time to catch the eye of the sinister animal control stickler Captain Dubois (Frances McDormand). And just like that the practically super human captain is chasing them through Monte Carlo and the rest of Europe in hopes of planting Alex’s perfectly coifed lion head on her wall of prized animals.
Luckily for pint-sized viewers Dubois’ terrifying presence is balanced out by her sheer inhuman strength uncanny guiles and Stretch Armstrong flexibility (ah the wonder of cartoons) as well as Alex’s escape plan: the New Yorkers run away with the European circus. While Dubois’ terrifying Doberman-like presence looms over the entire film a sense of levity (which is a word the kiddies might learn from Stiller’s eloquent lion) comes from the plan for salvation in which the circus animals and the zoo animals band together to revamp the circus and catch the eye of a big-time American agent. Sure the pacing throughout the first act is practically nonexistent running like a stampede through the jungle but by the time we're palling around under the big top the film finds its footing.
The visual splendor of the film (and man is there a champion size serving of it) the magnificent danger and suspense is enhanced to great effect by the addition of 3D technology – and not once is there a gratuitous beverage or desperate Crocodile Dundee knife waved in our faces to prove its worth. The caveat is that the soundtrack employs a certain infectious Katy Perry ditty at the height of the 3D spectacular so parents get ready to hear that on repeat until the leaves turn yellow.
But visual delights and adventurous zoo animals aside Madagascar 3’s real strength is in its script. With the addition of Noah Baumbach (Greenberg The Squid and the Whale) to the screenwriting team the script is infused with a heightened level of almost sarcastic gravitas – a welcome addition to the characteristically adult-friendly reference-heavy humor of the other Madagascar films. To bring the script to life Paramount enlisted three more than able actors: Vitaly the Siberian tiger (Bryan Cranston) Gia the Leopard (Jessica Chastain) and Stefano the Italian Sealion (Martin Short). With all three actors draped in European accents it might take viewers a minute to realize that the cantankerous tiger is one and the same as the man who plays an Albuquerque drug lord on Breaking Bad but that makes it that much sweeter to hear him utter slant-curse words like “Bolshevik” with his usual gusto.
Between the laughs the terror of McDormand’s Captain Dubois and the breathtaking virtual European tour the Zoosters’ accidental vacation is one worth taking. Madagascar 3 is by no means an insta-classic but it’s a perfectly suited for your Summer-at-the-movies oasis.

Theatrics slapstick and cheer are cinematic qualities you rarely find outside the realm of animation. Disney perfected it with their pantheon of cartoon classics mixing music humor spectacle and light-hearted drama that swept up children while still capturing the imaginations and hearts of their parents. But these days even reinterpretations of fairy tales get the gritty make-over leaving little room for silliness and unfiltered glee. Emerging through that dark cloud is Mirror Mirror a film that achieves every bit of imagination crafted by its two-dimensional predecessors and then some. Under the eye of master visualist Tarsem Singh (The Fall Immortals) Mirror Mirror's heightened realism imbues it with the power to pull off anything — and the movie never skimps on the anything.
Like its animated counterparts Mirror Mirror stays faithful to its source material but twists it just enough to feel unique. When Snow White (Lily Collins) was a little girl her father the King ventured into a nearby dark forest to do battle with an evil creature and was never seen or heard from again. The kingdom was inherited by The Queen (Julia Roberts) Snow's evil stepmother and the fair-skinned beauty lived locked up in the castle until her 18th birthday. Grown up and tired of her wicked parental substitute White sneaks out of the castle to the village for the first time. There she witnesses the economic horrors The Queen has imposed upon the people of her land all to fuel her expensive beautification. Along the way Snow also meets Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) who is suffering from his own money troubles — mainly being robbed by a band of stilt-wearing dwarves. When the Queen catches wind of the secret excursion she casts Snow out of the castle to be murdered by her assistant Brighton (Nathan Lane).
Fairy tales take flack for rejecting the idea of women being capable but even with its flighty presentation and dedication to the old school Disney method Mirror Mirror empowers its Snow White in a genuine way thanks to Collins' snappy charming performance. After being set free by Brighton Snow crosses paths with the thieving dwarves and quickly takes a role on their pilfering team (which she helps turn in to a Robin Hooding business). Tarsem wisely mines a spectrum of personalities out of the seven dwarves instead of simply playing them for one note comedy. Sure there's plenty of slapstick and pun humor (purposefully and wonderfully corny) but each member of the septet stands out as a warm compassionate companion to Snow even in the fantasy world.
Mirror Mirror is richly designed and executed in true Tarsem-fashion with breathtaking costumes (everything from ball gowns to the dwarf expando-stilts to ridiculous pirate ship hats with working canons) whimsical sets and a pitch-perfect score by Disney-mainstay Alan Menken. The world is a storybook and even its monsters look like illustrations rather than photo-real creations. But what makes it all click is the actors. Collins holds her own against the legendary Julia Roberts who relishes in the fun she's having playing someone despicable. She delivers every word with playful bite and her rapport with Lane is off-the-wall fun. Armie Hammer riffs on his own Prince Charming physique as Alcott. The only real misgiving of the film is the undercooked relationship between him and Snow. We know they'll get together but the journey's half the fun and Mirror Mirror serves that portion undercooked.
Children will swoon for Mirror Mirror but there's plenty here for adults — dialogue peppered with sharp wisecracks and a visual style ripped from an elegant tapestry. The movie wears its heart on its sleeve and rarely do we get a picture where both the heart and the sleeve feel truly magical.
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Though it promises to be completely cheesy -- just like its source material -- we can't help but be a bit excited at the prospect of the latest show added to future CW programming. The network just bought the pitch for The Carrie Diaries, the Sex and the City prequel series, with mega producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage attached.
The Carrie Diaries, based on the book by SATC author Candace Bushnell, answers all the burning questions we have about our favorite city girl and how she went from a girl to the woman we all followed for 6 seasons and two movies. The series will follow Carrie through her high school years in a small New England town; the book follows her in her senior year, but we've got no word on whether or not the show will pick up in that exact spot. Though the show won't enjoy the freedom that its HBO predecessor had, it will enjoy one of the writers from SATC. Amy Harris, who's working on the new season of Gossip Girl, will pen the adaptation and act as both writer and producer on the series. It would seem the script is in good hands.
The final piece is just hashing out a deal with HBO so that the prequel series will be able to use characters from the pay-network's original series, meaning die-hard fans are likely to see the sorts of origin answers they always wondered about -- in theory. Whatever the case, we know with the CW and Schwartz and Savage attached, we're going to be hooked. Just as long as we don't have to endure anymore Samantha Jones jokes involving her nether regions and Peter O'Toole movies.
Source: Deadline

Source: The Hollywood Reporter
J.J. Abrams and his Warner Bros. based TV production company Bad Robot are all over network television (Lost, which concludes it's sixth and final season this month, has been a staple at ABC for years while FOX has found success with their sci-fi thriller Fringe) and now they are officially in business with NBC. The prolific entertainer wrote, produced and directed the action-drama pilot Undercovers and will see his latest effort air on the peacock next season, says the Hollywood Reporter.
“We have tremendous confidence in this promising series and feel this is a great way to kick off our upcoming Upfront development announcements,” said Jeff Gaspin, Chairman, NBC Universal Television Entertainment. “J.J. has delivered another signature series along with our partners at Warner Bros and we couldn’t be happier.”
The project stars British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe as a married couple who are re-activated as CIA agents after years of retirement. Undercovers also marks the first pilot Abrams has directed since 2004’s Lost.
Most compare the plot to a modern-day Hart to Hart or the film Mr. &amp; Mrs. Smith. Here's the first extensive logline for the show:
Outwardly, Steven Bloom (Boris Kodjoe, "Resident Evil: Afterlife") and his wife, Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, “Bonekickers”), are a typical married couple who own a small catering company in Los Angeles and are helped by Samantha’s easily frazzled younger sister, Lizzy (Jessica Parker Kennedy, “Smallville”). Secretly, the duo were two of the CIA’s best spies until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired. When fellow spy and friend Nash (Carter MacIntyre, "American Heiress") goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated by boss Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney, "Deadwood") to locate and rescue Nash. The pair is thrust back into the world of espionage as they follow leads that span the globe -- and Steven and Samantha realize that this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides the excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing. Also starring is Ben Schwartz (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”).